


Getting to Know You

by morcabre



Category: Discworld - Terry Pratchett
Genre: Book: Night Watch, M/M, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, no happy ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-02-19
Packaged: 2019-03-21 08:09:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13736736
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/morcabre/pseuds/morcabre
Summary: Havelock Vetinari has lost his soulmate when he was young. Samuel Vimes spent most of his life waiting for his.





	Getting to Know You

**Author's Note:**

  * For [KaiNebov](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KaiNebov/gifts).



> It is currently unbeta-ed 
> 
> A few quotes from the book are used for the last scene

In the end, the habit of watching the shadows didn't help. A figure materialezed right next to them, as if mocking Vimes' efforts, and Vimes almost jumped.

"Good evening, Sargeant." It was a young man dressed in dark green clothes, which was a good choice for someone who was trying to hide, Vimes thought. After all, black wasn't as suited for that purpose as most people believed.

"And who are you, exactly?"

As tired as he was, Vimes almost missed it when the words on his wrist flared up briefly, as if burned, and how the man opened his eyes wide and grabbed his wrist, surprised by the feeling. Vimes winced. He used to wonder a lot, how he would meet his soulmate, when he was much younger. That was half the reason he became a watchman in the first place. But it kept not happening, and the whole thing kept gradually losing its shine in his eyes. After all, as life showed him many times, you could easily be someone's soulmate and still hate their guts. And then he stopped being a sargeant.

The was something eerily familiar about the face of his supposed soulmate, too. He just couldn't quite place it. That is, not until the man spoke again.

"My name is Havelock Vetinari."

Vimes gasped and dropped his sigarette.

"Vetinari?" he rasped.

The man, the future Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, as Vimes mind kept shouting at him, blinked incomprehensibly.

"I think the circumstances of our meeting prove we haven't met before, yet you seem to know my name," he said.

"Well... I... must've heard it somewhere," mumbled Vimes, desperately trying to save the situation while his brain gave up on him, "it's a memorable name."

Vetinari stepped from foot to foot and inclined his head. 

"We'll have to talk about it later, as well as... the other thing. I actually came here for a reason. Madam requires an audience with you."

"And why would that be?" asked Vimes in a much drier tone.

Vetinarti smiled. "You'll have to see for yourself, won't you? Suffice it to say, I promised to bring you by any means necessary, and I'd rather not start our relationship by hurting you."

Relationship. Vimes frowned. Gods, Vetinari seemed serious about that.

"Well then," Vimes sighed and said quitely, "lead the way."

***

Vimes was only half-listening and kept stealing glances at Vetinari, who was sitting completely still and quiet next to Madam. He thought of younger version of himslef, still hopefull and waiting to meet his soulmate, all in vain because he, as John Keel, met Vetinari first.

'You could tell them!' a thought burned bright through his consciousness. 'Then younger you won't ever have to wait for him, he'll be right next to you, just like you wanted!'

'But wouldn't that change the future?' cautisouly inquired another. 'And who knows what things exactly would change?'

'How can he be your soulmate, though? You've been working for him all this time, and how that worked out for you?' bitterly said the third. 'Shouldn't you have felt something?'

'We did feel something, even if he didn't' quietly whispered the fourth, only to be interrupted by a much louder thought, 'and what about Sybil?'

"I just want to go home," blurted Vimes, interrupting Madam. "I'll do what I have to and go home. That's all I want."

In the corner of his eye, Vimes saw Vetinari move, as if he was going to say something, but thought better of it.

The meeting came swiftly to an end after it and Vimes got out onto the street. It was raining heavily, and he sighed as Vetinari stopped next to him.

"Listen," he said. "I am honored to have you as my soulmate, but it won't work out. I'm sorry."

Vimes turned to Vetinari who was looking at him and seemed almost wistful, if Vimes would've dared to call him wistful.

"Why is that?"

'I'm married,' Vimes thought. 'I'm going to have a child. And you are going to rule this city. And at some point I'm going to almost hate you. And at some point I'm going to feel something very different. And frankly, I wouldn't even dare to guess what you think about me.'

"It's just... too late," said Vimes eventually.

Vetinari frowned. "I'm not going to take that as an answer."

'I just want to go home,' thought Vimes. He suddenly became deeply aware of how tired he actually was.

"You'll have no other choice," he said.

***

Vimes wouldn't ever learn about that, but later that day Madam pulled Havelock aside and said, "He was able to see you. And I know you were actually trying to hide." 

And Vetinari just smiled wistfully and answered, "Somebody had to."

***

"Did you ever wonder why I wore the lilac, your grace?"

The evening was lovely and the air smelled of lilacs.

"I lost someone very important that day," said the Patrician. "I was told he was in danger, so I was rushing to save him. I did save him once already, of course, not knowing yet who he was."

"When you shot that man with a crossbow," said Vimes, the pieces finally coming together.

"Yes. But this time the streets were blocked, and the luck wasn't on my side. When I finally got there, I saw John Keel die. At least, I saw him dead."

"Really," said Vimes.

"Yes. I must admit, I got quite... emotional after, if you can believe that. I snatched up a lilac bloom from a fallen man and, I have to say, held it in my mouth. I guess I wanted to... avenge my soulmate," a strange sad smile appeared on Vetinari's face. "I certainly killed four men, though I take no pride in that."

Vimes swallowed.

"And then, afterwards, I took a look at John Keel. It was John Keel. How could there be any question about that? Blood on him of course. There was blood everywhere. His wounds looked somewhat old, I thought. And death, as we know, changes people. Yet I remember wondering: this much? So I put it down as half a mystery and today…sergeant…we find the other half of a mystery. It's wonderful, isn't it, how alike men can be? I can imagine that even your Sergeant Colon would not realise anything. After all, he saw Keel die and he watched you grow up—"

"Where are you going with this?" asked Vimes.

"Oh, nowhere. It is, after all, too late." Vetinari looked down and stired a few fallen leaves with his cane. Then he looked back at Vimes he looked perfectly calm. "I must admit, it is much easier to understand and accept retrospectively. Not to mention that..." Vetinari looked aside and stopped talking.

"Not to mention what?" quietly asked Vimes.

"That at the time I didn't know you well enough to truly appreciate what I seemed to have lost, your grace."

Vimes sighed and opened his mouth to say something. He wasn't sure exactly what.

"So what now?" he asked finally.

Vetinari sighed.

"Now, I suppose, you have things to do," said Vetinari and pointed at Carcer with his cane. "There's going to be a trial tomorrow."

"And it's going to be a fair one," interjected Vimes.

Vetinari smiled.

"Of course. I wouldn't dare make it any other way," he inclined his head.

"And afterwards we could..." cautiously started Vimes.

"Afterwards, I suppose, you are going to spend time with your family, your grace."

"So nothing is going to change."

"No," said Vetinari. "I'm afraid not."

They stood looking at each other for some time. The day was coming to an end and the air smelled of lilacs.

"It has been a pleasure to finally get to know you, Sargeant," said Vetinari.

"Likewise," answered Vimes.


End file.
